844-897-3935This article explains how extended breaks from real-time transcription affect service qualification status and when refresher verification may be required.
A TypeWell transcriber's service qualification reflects the level at which they were formally evaluated at the time of training. That transcriber's continued readiness for real-time work, however, depends on ongoing practice and current software licensing.
Real-time meaning-for-meaning transcription is a live performance of multiple cognitive and motor skills used simultaneously and consistently over the course of an hour or longer. This is a disciplined performance that relies on speed, automaticity, working memory, stamina, and real-time decision-making. Like other performance-based skills, these abilities are maintained through regular use.
Regular use means ongoing, repeated engagement in full-length real-time assignments using the V8 Transcriber software. Occasional substitution, sporadic coverage, or post-production/non-real-time transcription is not sufficient to maintain automaticity, stamina, and real-time decision-making. In contrast, transcribers who provide communication access on a consistent, recurring basis—such as weekly during an academic term, or through a sustained real-time workload—are more likely to preserve and strengthen these skills.
TypeWell does not define regular use by a single numeric threshold. Instead, we look at the overall pattern of activity: frequency of real-time work, duration of assignments, continued software licensing, and any documented continuing education or skill assessments.
Transcribers are responsible for accepting only those assignments for which they possess appropriate skills. Determining whether one’s real-time readiness remains current is part of that professional responsibility. When work has become infrequent or paused for an extended period, transcriber readiness cannot be assumed based solely on past qualification; it is appropriate to evaluate one's readiness before resuming regular services.
For that reason, service qualification records may be reviewed when there has been an extended hiatus from active transcription.
What appears on the Educational History page
The Educational History page lists:
- Completed TypeWell training courses
- Service Qualification statements
- Skill Assessments
- Turbo Courselets
- Other TypeWell-sanctioned continuing education (completed or attempted)
Employers do not see an "active" or "inactive" label. Instead, they see the transcriber’s training history and any continuing education activity.
If additional verification is required before resuming services, a notation about a Refresher Screening may be added to the record.
Hiatus of 1 year or more
If a transcriber has not been actively providing real-time services for one year or more, TypeWell may review the qualification record to determine whether it remains current.
If TypeWell is aware of a hiatus of at least 1 year, a notation such as Refresher Course Recommended will be added to the transcriber's Educational History page. That notation may also be added sooner than 1 year if a brand new transcriber did not transition into regular, active work immediately after completing their training.
This is not disciplinary. It reflects the reality that real-time performance skills can decline without regular use.
Hiatus of 2 years or more
If a transcriber has been away from active real-time work for two years or more, a Refresher Screening is typically required before resuming services.
In these cases, a notation such as Refresher Screening Required may be added to the Educational History record.
This notation does not erase prior achievement. It indicates that current readiness must be verified before returning to live work.
Software licensing and service eligibility
Providing real-time TypeWell services requires a valid V8 Transcriber software license. The TypeWell Everywhere software is intended for personal, non-income-producing use and does not substitute for a Transcriber license.
Extended lapses in licensing may also result in a refresher requirement prior to resuming services.
Returning to active service
Transcribers who wish to resume real-time services after a hiatus must:
- Reinstate a V8 Transcriber software license
- Complete a Refresher Screening (if required)
Our goal is to ensure that any transcriber representing themselves as qualified for real-time services is fully prepared to provide consistent, reader-ready access.
Keeping records aligned
TypeWell maintains records across a large, distributed network of transcribers. We rely in part on self-reporting and periodic review to keep qualification records aligned with actual practice.
If you have taken a hiatus from real-time transcription and your Educational History page does not yet reflect current expectations, please contact us so we can update your record accordingly.